Coming of age: rethinking the role of children in population studies

Abstract

Children feature prominently in migration, fertility and mortality studies and are evident in those more broadly-based geographies which consider the importance of population to socio-economic and environmental issues. However, it is argued that the population geography of childhood is a mirage, in that children are ever-present, but never really there. Trends toward the pursuit of`peopled' population geographies and the emergence of a (social) geography of childhood provide contexts within which new population geographies involving children can emerge. Such geography holds out the prospect of enriching our understanding of population patterns and processes. To realise this goal necessitates a theoretical engagement with children and childhood.

Children's Geographies/Geographies of Children: Play, Work, Mobilities and Migration

“…In 2001, John McKendrick asked important questions about the ways in which children were included and excluded from population studies, in particular migration studies. Children were not accorded the right degree of social significance in population studies (p. 467) (but see Naomi Bushin's 2008 discussion about the use of data sets to examine children's migration).…”

Poverty, migration and sex work: youth transitions in Ethiopia

“…Second, geographical research has recently moved beyond an exploration of young people's lives as static, with a plethora of studies considering the ways in which children and youth develop connections across space (Jennings et al 2006). Young people are now seen as migrants in their own right, often acting as the motivation for moving or moving independently from their families (Dobson and Stillwell 2000; McKendrick 2001; Waters 2002; Young 2004). This latter point is particularly pertinent for the context of sex workers in Ethiopia as migration away from the family home is an important aspect for many of their ability to engage in this type of work.…”

Politics, mobility and nationhood: upscaling young people's geographies: introduction to Special Section

“…Experiences of migration, mobility and asylum offer a second set of issues through which the political geographies of young people's lives could be further advanced. Although children have traditionally been ignored within population geography (McKendrick 2001), despite having always been an important constituent of the population at large, recent years have seen a steady – but by no means overwhelming – growth in research within this area. Barker et al.…”